ADVERTISERS

ADVERTISERS

For weeks, the Yankees have insisted that they weren’t waiting for Roger Clemens to prop the team on his 44-year-old shoulders, like some pinstriped savior riding in from the outposts of Tampa, Trenton or Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

All the Yankees desired, as Clemens journeyed to the big leagues and clicked the meter on a lucrative contract, was for him to slot as a productive member of their rotation, promising them a stable effort every fifth day.

Mission accomplished. Clemens’ Bronx relaunch was a success, as The Rocket notched a win in his first start of the season, pitching six innings in the Yankees’ 9-3 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Saturday.

“It felt like old times,” Clemens said. “I’ve got to take a little deep breath now. I understand the excitement that’s there and the expectations that are there. There’s a lot of both.”

Clemens threw 108 pitches in the start, limiting the Pirates to three runs and five hits in helping the Yankees extend their winning streak to a season-high five games. New York is now two games under .500 at 29-31 and had been showing signs of renewal even before Clemens jazzed things up.

NOTE: My spam filter automatically deletes any TrackBacks that do not actually link and refer to this post. Those doing it manually should ensure they have linked the post before sending the TrackBack ping.